steyens



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I 11; B. STEVENS. WATER WHEEL. N0. 286,500. I Patented Oct. 9, 1883.-

M, PETERS. mmum hu, Washington. a. 0

2 SheetsSheet 2.

H. B. STEVENS.

(No Model.)

WATER WHEEL.

Patented Oct. 9, 1883.

W /me;

aagh 4 1201021 423 jfzfarz gyaz .4

N. FIITERs Pmwmlw n hu. wahin m Ila UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEXRY B. STEVEXS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE L.

SQUIER, OF SAME PLACE.

WATER- WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,500, dated October .9, 188 Application filed August 12, 1582. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, B. STEvENs, of the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in \Vater -Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in turbine water-wheels, whereby the construction of the motor is simplified, its cost tical section of the upper portion thereof at case,

right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section in line a1 :r, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section in line y 3 Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is aside elevation of theturbine-wheel detached. Fig. 6 is a vertical section, and Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. Sis a perspective View of the same. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the inner portion of the wheel with the outer shell removed.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the case, which 'incloses the moving parts and conducts the water to and from the wheel B,which is secured to a vertical spindle or shaft, 2). p

0 represents the upper portion of the case, provided in its side with an inlet opening or pipe, 0, through which the water enters the and in its top 0 with a stuffing-box, (2, through which the upper portion of the shaft 1 passes.

E represents the lower portion of the case, provided in its side with an outlet opening or pipe, 6, through which the water is discharged from the case, and in its bottom E with a stuffing-box, f, through which the lower portion of the shaft b passes.

g represents a bridge-tree secured to the bottom E, and provided with a bearing, 9, and a set-screw, 9*, wherebythe lower end of the shaft is supported and the wheel adjusted vertically when necessary.

' H represents a funnel-shaped cover, arranged over the wheel in such manner as to exclude the water from the peripheral portion of the Wheel and admit it only to the inner portion thereof which contains the ports. The cover H is provided wit-h flanges 71, whereby it is so cured between the upper portion, C, and the lower portion, E, of the case. The inner conical surface of the funnel H is preferably so inclined as to conduct the water to the center of the wheel at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the perpendicular axis of the shaft 12. The funnel H relieves the wheel 13 from the greater portion of the pressure of the column of water above the wheel, as the entire marginal portion of the wheel is covered and pro tected by the funnel.

I represents a cylindrical hydrostatic chamber formed on or secured to'the under side of the cover 0 of the upper portion, G, of the case,-around the shaft b, and J is a disk or piston secured to the shaft 2) and fitting in the chamber I. The pressure of the water against the under side of the piston J tends to. raise the shaft 1; and wheel 33, and relieves the wheel from that portion of the water-pressure which is not relieved by the funnel H.

i represents a pipe leading from the upper portion of the chamber I to the outside of the case, to discharge the water which may leak into the chamber I past the piston J. The pipe 1; is provided with astop-cock, i, whereby the escape of water through the pipe 6, and

consequently the pressure which the column of water exerts against piston J, can be regulated. By closing the cock 1; partially, the escape of the water from the chamber I is retarded, and the water-pressure against the under side of the piston J is thereby counteracted to a certain extent, so that the downward pressure on the wheel is not completely relieved, whereby the shaft 1) is caused to barely rest upon the setscrew 9 By fully opening the cool: i, the entire pressure of the water against the under side of the piston J is rendered effective, whereby the shaftis entirely raised from the step g. Upon removing the cover G the chamber I can be easily cleaned.

The wheel 13 is made smallest at its upper end and enlarges gradually in diameter toward the under, side of the its base. The surface of the wheel is perpendicular, or nearly so, at the top, and curves outwardly toward the base, where it is horizontal, or nearly so, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The buckets 7c are arranged spirally upon this curved body k of the wheel, their operative surfaces 70 standing at right angles to the surface of the body 70. Each bucket extends from the apex or small end to the base of the wheel, and the ends of each bucket are about a fourth of a revolution distant from each other, so that the water is discharged at an angle of about ninety degrees to the direction of admission, to thewheel, both in a horizontal and perpendicular plane. The water spaces or passages k between the buckets- 76 decrease in thickness and increase in breadth from the apex to the base of the wheel.

' The discharge openings or ports of the waterspaces k" have a capacity of about one=third of that of the inlet-ports, thereby insuring a full pressure of water upon the entire length of each bucket. The water-spaces 7c are covered, except at their upper and lower ends, by a curved shell, Z, which is preferably cast in one piece with the body k and the buckets k of the wheel, the water-passages it being formed by suitable cores. By this manner of constructing the wheel the large expense usually incurred in fitting up the buckets and securing the parts of the wheel together and the'liability of parts getting displaced or out of order are avoided.

m m represent upright flanges or ribs arranged on the inner surface of the lower portion, E, of the case, below the wheel B, to break up the streams of water issuing from the discharge-ports of the wheel and prevent the gyrating motion of the water in the lower part,

E, of the case after it leaves the wheel.

The operation of any improved motor is as follows: The water enters the upper portion, 0, of the case through the inlet 0, and passes downward through the funnel H, which directs the water into the ports of the wheel, near the center thereof, so that the water will strike the buckets k at an angle of about fortyfive degrees to the operative surface k of the bucket. The water passes through the passages k" of the wheel in the form of an inverted natural vortex. The shape and motion of the wheel creates a centrifugal force, and the water, which has a constant tendency to press outward by reason of the centrifugal force, eX- erts the combined force of its head and the centrifugal force upon the buckets, thereby rendering a large proportion of the power effective. The water strikes the buckets at an angle of about forty-five degrees and passes through, 'thewheel in downwardly and outwardly curved streams, and escapes from each passage of the wheel when the latter has made 7 about one-fourth of a revolution. The force is applied to the wheel byalarge body of water passing upon the buckets with the head of the water and the centrifugal force generated by the shape and motion of the wheel. These forces are fully applied to the buckets, because the eXit-ports are smaller than the inlet-ports. the wheel, it strikes the upright flanges m in the lower portion, E, of the case, wherebya reactionary force is developed, which adds still more to the power applied to the wheel.

I claim as my invention 1. A water wheel composed of a curved body, buckets 70, arranged spirally upon said body and forming ports or waterways 7t, decreasing in height and increasing in breadth from the water-inlets to the outlets, and receding from the axis of the wheel from the water inlets to the water-outlets, and an outer shell, Z, covering the water-passages, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a water-wheel having spiral ports or water-ways is, which have their inlet-openings in the top of the wheel and curved downwardly and outwardly toward the outlet-openings, of a funnel, H, covering the top of the wheel and directing the water to the inlet-openings near the axis of the wheel, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the funnel H, of a case composed of an upper portion, 0, and a lower portion, E, between which the funnel is secured, substantially as set forth.

4.. The combination,with awater-wheel hav ing downwardly and outwardly curved waterways 7c, of a case, E, and ribs or flanges m, secured to the inner side of said case, opposite the outlet-openings in the circumference of the wheel, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the wheel B, of a case provided with a hydrostatic chamber, I, located above the wheel a piston, J, secured to the shaft 2) of the wheel and fitted in the chamber I, and a funnel, H, covering the marginal portion of the top of the wheel, whereby the wheel is relieved from the pressure of the column of water, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the wheel B, of a case composed of an upper portion, 0, provided with a hydrostatic chamber, I J, and a After the water is discharged from lower portion, E, provided with ribs or, and

a funnel, H, arranged above the wheel, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the wheel B and easing G, of the hydrostatic chamberl, formed with or secured to the cover 0 of the wheelcase, substantially as set forth.

H. B. STEVENS.

Vitnesses:

JNo. J. BONNER, CHAS. F. GEYER. 

